Pneumatic boat propulsion



Feb.- 10, 1931. c. A. PRICE PNEUMATIC BOAT PROPULSION Filed June 21. 1929 INVEZHT'OR Car/fan A. Price, I B v.

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Ai'l'or'neds.

Patented Feb. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES CARLTON A. PRICE, OF LA. FORTE, INDIANA PNEUMATIC Boar rnornnsroiv Application filed. June 21,

moved to disclose the interior construction;

Fig. 2, a front elevation of the boat with part of the hull broken away; and

Fig. 3, a rear elevation of the boat.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views in the drawing.

I form a boat hull 10 with the under side of the after part having substantially an inverted U-shaped cross section, which I shall here designate as a wind or air tunnel 11. This tunnel is entirely open from its under side and likewise is open across the rear end at the stern of the boat.

At the forward end of the boat I position a funnel 12 here shown'as opening forward. From this funnel I carry a conduit 13 downwardly and rearwardly to discharge into a second conduit 14 formed along the inner side of the bottom of the hull 10. This second conduit 14 discharges rearwardly into the tunnel 11.

Within the funnel 12, I rotatably mount a propeller 15 which is driven by the engine 16 through suitable driving means here shown as the shafting 17 18, and the beveled-gears 19, 20. The boat is provided with the usual rudder 21.

Upon the motor 16 being.operated, the propeller 15 is rapidly revolved 1n a d1rection which in itself will tend to pull the boat pneumatic propulsion are 1929; Serial No. 372,638.

forwardly. The slip stream from the propeller is discharged rearwardly through the conduits 13 and 1.4 and on through the tunnel 11. By so discharging the blast from the propeller 15, water, entering into the conduit 14, is forcibly driven rearwardly therefrom and back out through the tunnel whereby the boat will tend to be driven forwardly. While I have here shown and describedmy invention in the form as now best known to me,it is obvious that many structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form nor any more than may be necessary by the following claims.

I claim;-f

1. In a boat, a hull, means for discharging air under pressure, a conduit along the under side of said boat having a substantial length midship of the boat and adapted to be below the water line of the boat, said conduit being closed except at its front and rear 7 ends, said means discharging air into said conduit, and said hull havingan afterpart of its under side inverted U-shaped in crosssection open from below and from its rear, and said conduit discharging along said after part.

2. In a boat, a funnel located above the hull at the forward end of the boat, a rotating propeller located at the mouthof the funnel, a conduit closed except at its front and rear ends extending for a substantial length midship inside of and along the bottom of the hull, a conduit from the funnel discharging into the forward end ofthe first conduit, and outside channels in the under side of the after part of the boat into which the first conduit discharges.

3. In a boat, a funnel located above the hull at the forward end of the boat, a propeller. located at the mouth of the funnel, means for rotating the propeller. a conduit located within the boat amidship thereof and extending for a substantial distance longitudinally of and near the bottom of the boat, a curved and tapering conduit extension of the funnel discharging into the first conduit, and aprons longitudinally projecting downwardly from the under side of the after part of the boat, said first conduit being closed except at its intake and discharge ends and discharging between the aprons, a length of said conduit being below the water line of said boat.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CARLTON AiPRIGEf 

